


Bite Me Baby

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Whumptober 2019 [24]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Good Parent Joxaren | The Joxter, Vampires, ask to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 04:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21112532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: When Joxter walks into Mymblemamma's kitchen to find her not with a lover, as he half expected, but a newly dead vampire hunter, it's just the beginning of a long, frightening day of revelations.And it's going to put their relationship (and trust) to the test.Whumptober Day 20: Trembling





	Bite Me Baby

Joxter saw Mymble's house up ahead and quickened his steps.

It had been a few months since he'd last seen her and the tiny ball of fluff they'd created and all the rest of the children, and it was far too long. He'd never had somewhere he wanted to return to before, but this person, this place...

Joxter had needed a break from the noise and chaos of Mymble's brood, some time to be on his own and wandering, but he was feeling fully recharged and ready to face them again.

Plus, he missed them, badly enough he wanted to see them more than he wanted another month on his own.

Joxter slipped around the back and into the kitchen. He hadn't warned Mymble he was coming, but if she was with another lover, well...they both knew she could be, and he'd just wait awhile with the children.

He paused just inside the door.

She was with someone, holding them up against the wall on the other side of the kitchen. Joxter felt a brief surge of something, of envy perhaps, that he wasn't the one being pinned against that wall. Oh, he didn't mind that she was doing it to someone else – he knew when he fell for her that Mymble needed variety, that she would have other partners even after they agreed to be primaries – just that he missed her doing that to him.

Soon, hopefully, he'd get to be the one pinned up against the wall. Mymblemamma's strength was...well, it got him worked up in a good half dozen different ways.

The man she was holding up met Joxter's eyes, and Joxter looked away quickly, knowing that Mymble had to know he was there now. He didn't want to interrupt, he'd just see if he could get by.

The man made desperate noises as Joxter started to slip through the kitchen, almost like he was pleading for something.

Well, he wasn't the first to make noises while Mymblemama pinned them down.

Joxter inched his way past, quietly as possible, to wait in the living room – odd that Mymble would do this here in the kitchen when he could hear the kids up and about in the other room, she was usually more aware than that, more careful of what the kids heard or saw – when the man gave a strange, unhealthy sounding gurgle, one that did not sound like enjoyment.

Joxter turned back against his better judgment just in time to see the man slide to the floor with a meaty thud, blood trickling down from two wounds on his neck and a glazed expression on his terrified face that said he was, if not already dead, then actively dying.

Joxter's mouth dropped open and he took an involuntary step backwards, staring at the corpse on Mymblemamma's kitchen floor.

His gaze was slowly drawn to her, to where she was wiping her mouth off with a napkin. Her bloody mouth, with those lovely eyes of hers glowing as she looked at Joxter sadly.

“Oh kitten, why couldn't you have gotten here an hour later?” she asked mournfully.

There was a blur, and everything went dark.

\---XXX---

Joxter woke on something soft. The smell and feel told him in an instant that he was lying on Mymble's bed.

A situation he was usually much more enthusiastic about.

He could feel his hands behind his back, tied together and threatening to go numb from being laid on, rope around his chest tying his upper arms down, and his legs were tied at the knees and ankles, much tighter than Mymble usually tied him, along with the gag she didn't usually pull out unless things were going much differently than today.

And, again, a situation he was usually enthusiastic about but which had a pit of dread forming in his stomach today.

_Forebodings, why couldn't they work when he needed them?_ Joxter thought sourly.

Faintly he could hear the voices of the children, all the ones were were currently home with Mymble and able to speak, raised in argument through the cracked door.

They hushed as one, and Joxter strained against the ropes, knowing it was fruitless – Mymble had tied her squirmy little kitten one time too many to not know exactly how to keep him just where and how she wanted him.

The door swung open and Joxter went still.

Mymblemamma filled the doorway, chewing her lip as she looked down at Joxter. Carefully she closed the door behind her, coming to sit next to Joxter on the bed.

Gently she helped him sit up, knowing that lying on his back with his hands tied behind him was uncomfortable, and often hurt his tail, that fluffy tail she loved so, if he laid that way too long. Mymblemamma wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she could do that much for her Joxter at least.

She stroked his cheek with her thumb, and he pressed into that hand, frightened and confused.

“Oh, kitten,” she sighed. “This isn't how you were supposed to find out. What am I going to do with you now?”

Joxter looked up at her, and Mymble felt her resolve wavering. His eyes were huge and frightened, tears gathering in the corners.

She bent and brushed a kiss against the corner of his eye, tasting the tear there. “You're trembling,” she breathed. “Oh, kitten...”

She narrowed her eyes, thinking, as Joxter watched her pleadingly.

He never would have believed his Sunshine of being capable of such a thing if he hadn't seen it himself...and now that he'd seen it, what would she do? He knew she loved him, but...

That hadn't been his Sunshine he'd seen in the kitchen. That had...it have been his Mymble, but...what was happening?

Mymblemamma's thumb brushed against the gag. “If you'll promise not to scream, I'll take this off,” she said. Joxter nodded, and Mymble slid her hands through his hair before reaching for the buckle at the back. “You're always so pretty with it on,” she commented offhand. “I'm sorry about the ropes, but...the last one who found out didn't take it well. At all.”

Joxter licked his lips, working the stiffness from his jaw as Mymble set the gag aside.

“Mymble...” he said, voice trembling, looking up at her, knowing he was pleading with his eyes but unable to keep himself from doing so.

But...this was _Mymble._ His Sunshine, the woman he'd hoped would be his primary for the rest of his life, and now...

he could feel his heart breaking with betrayal. He shouldn't have had to be afraid of her. And from the way Mymblemamma was looking at him, it was showing clear as day on his face, as well.

“Shhh,” she said, lying a finger over his lips. “Sit and listen, and then we'll figure out what happens. I know what I want, but how you react will decide a lot.”

Joxter looked at her flatly. “No pressure,” he mumbled through her soft gag.

“Hush, or I'll have to get the gag again.” Mymblemamma thought for a moment and sighed, placing a paw to her cheek. “Oh, I wanted this to go very differently. I really don't want to kill you, kitten. But you weren't supposed to see that. Of course, being it's you, we might be able to work something out. I really hope so, I do love you but the children's safety has to come first.”

Joxter had started shaking again, watching Mymblemamma with eyes gone huge and dark. He'd known she would do just about anything for the children, but what he'd seen earlier...

She ran a paw through his hair, cupping his cheek so he had to look up at her. “I'm a vampire, Joxter. I've been a vampire for longer than you've been alive.”

Joxter blinked up at her a few times. His eyes darted to the door and back to Mymblemamma while Mymblemamma played with his hair, waiting for his reaction.

Then the question he hadn't asked registered, and she giggled. “Oh, them. I was born a vampire, dear. There's born ones and made ones, and the born ones choose when to stop aging, and we can have children. There's all sorts of silly pretense and posturing over who's made and who's born, it's all such a waste of time. Most of the children are like me, and those who aren't have the option of having me or their siblings turn them when they're adults, if they choose.”

“...Snufkin?” Joxter asked in a tiny voice.

Mymblemamma shrugged. “I can't tell yet. It's almost impossible to tell until they're older.”

“...and...and...the man in the kitchen? A former friend?”

Mymblemamma's face hardened, though she tried to laugh it off a little. “Oh, I don't drain former lovers unless they make an utter nuisance of themselves. Or won't keep things to themselves. No, that was a hunter.”

“...a _what._”

Mymblemamma blinked at the sudden change in Joxter's voice. “A hunter. There are people who don't like vampires, and he thought to clear out the nest, as he put it, before the latest generation could grow up. While they're still little.”

Forgetting he was tied for a moment, Joxter surged forward, nearly toppling over. “The kids? He didn't get at any, did he?” he asked frantically.

“They're fine, kitten, he didn't get past Mymble,” Mymblemamma said soothingly, catching Joxter and pulling him back onto the bed properly. 

“She's...?”

“And Little My, too, for certain.”

Joxter snorted softly, fear forgotten in the rush of protective anger. “Somehow that's not surprising. Ah, so...”

He bit at his lip, tugging against his bonds again. Joxter's tail, which had fluffed in anger, slicked down and curled tight, trembling as he looked up at her, curled around himself as he remembered that he was in danger from his love. “Are you going to kill me too?” he asked in a tiny, frightened voice.

“No, no, I'm not.” Mymblemamma pulled him against her. “Considering how you reacted, you're safe. I'm so glad, kitten. I don't want to hurt you...well, unless you ask nicely, of course. I was afraid I might have to. But others, well...”

“Can we just...pretend I never saw that?” he asked, curling in on himself. “That this ever happened?”

“Oh no, kitten. We've needed to have this conversation for awhile. You see, you're the first primary I've had that I'd like to stick around. For a very long time, if you catch my drift.”

Joxter's mouth moved but no sound emerged as what Mymblemamma was suggesting sank in, eyes going wide once again.

“...it's dangerous for a vampire to fall in love,” Mymblemamma said sadly. “So many time, they turn into hunters as soon as they find out what we are. Or they start begging to be turned, and we don't care about them enough to want to spend eternity with them. But you...I don't think I'll recover when you go, Joxter. Eventually I'd have to heal, but...”

She paused, her paw caressing his cheek again as she looked at him. Joxter was still processing what he'd heard, but managed, “You...want me to...”

Mymblemamma nodded solemnly. “And you'll have to decide soon, kitten. You don't want to spend eternity filled with aches and pains, now, do you? I want you just like this.” She tapped his nose gently. “Of course, the traditional way of doing this would have been to do it as you slept, but I would rather you knew. Too many times, it doesn't work out the other way.”

She kissed the side of his throat, giggling softly when Joxter tensed. “I'll let you think it over. I hope you let me tie you like this again if you say yes. You're very tasty when you're in distress.”

Her paw slipped down to run over Joxter's butt, giggling again at the blush. She sobered, cupping his cheek once again, fingers tangling in his hair.

“I am so very sorry for the fright I've given you, my kitten. But I trusted a lover once before, and they turned hunter on us. We nearly lost some of the children. I couldn't...not a second time. I had to know.”

“...will you untie me now?”

Mymblemamma drooped. “Is that a no, then?”

“...would you still have to...if it were?”

Mymblemamma shook her head, carefully loosening the bindings around Joxter's chest. “So long as I trust you not to harm us, and I do, then no. But I had to be sure.”

Joxter waited until she had finished untying him before speaking again. “It's not a no. And it's not a yes. It's a 'I need time to think'. Can you give me that?”

Mymblemamma nodded, though from the droop of her antennae it was clear she thought she knew his answer.

Joxter knelt, reaching up to cup her face in his paws, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “...two days. I'll be back in two days with my answer,” he said. “By myself, no tricks. A promise.”

He hesitated, and gave her one more soft, lingering kiss before slipping out the bedroom window.

\---XXX---

It was a very long two days, both for Joxter and within the Mymble household.

For Joxter, it was two days of remembering what he'd seen, of remembering what it had felt like to be at Mymblemamma's mercy, and to be so frightened of her.

Of the time before that, of what she had told him, of what it would mean if he said yes or no to her offer.

For the Mymbles, it was two days of tension, of wondering what it would mean when Joxter came back.

The thought that he might come back with hunters or stakes was discussed and dismissed after roughly two minutes at most. 

Some of the more cynical didn't think Joxter was going to come back. Why would he, if his answer was going to be no, after the scare he'd had? 

Not even Little My was quite cruel enough to say so when their mother was in the room, though of course she heard them. 

He'd promised to come back, and to come back by himself. He hadn't broken a promise yet, but on the other hand, with what they'd done before he'd gone...those minutes when she thought Mymblemamma might have to do something drastic to her Joxter haunted her. The fear in his eyes, the way he'd trembled in her arms, and she'd been the one to do that to him, to make him think she may drain him dry and leave him for dead.

If he never came back, if that was why he was too afraid to return, well, that was the way it would be.

Why should he come back, after that kind of betrayal?

The sun was setting on the second day, and her hopes along with it, when a voice came from the tree outside her window.

“You know, there's a lot of questions I didn't ask before. Like how you can be outside in sunlight. And how much blood you need. Do you even drink blood, or is it just for emergencies, like the other day?”

Mymblemamma flew to the window, watching Joxter's eyes go wide and nearly blushing as she realized she'd used her vampire speed without thinking, and had never done so in front of Joxter before.

The window was already open, and she held her arms out to Joxter. He slipped into them as if they'd never frightened each other so badly, letting her carry him into the room.

“Guess it explains why you can haul me around so easily,” he commented. “I do like that one. Ooh, would I be able to return the favor? It's a really good feeling.”

“We can't use many of our powers in sunlight, but it only hurts if we haven't eaten in some time. Longer the older we are,” she answered as Joxter rubbed his cheek against her shoulder, as she hadn't put him down yet. “And we don't need much. And possibly, in time.”

Joxter hummed softly as Mymblemamma lowered him onto her bed, sitting side by side with him.

“Will it hurt?”

“I can make sure it doesn't. It doesn't usually. Sometimes it feels quite good indeed.”

Joxter leaned against Mymblemamma. “I'm still a little scared,” he said. “I can admit to that. Maybe even more than a little. It's...a lot. I've been doing more thinking the last two days than I have in years. But...”

“...but?” Mymblemamma repeated, hope filling her chest.

Joxter squirmed up to his knees, leaning in for a soft kiss. Mymblemamma pulled him over to straddle her lap and he went willingly. He leaned back in her arms, looking down at her, tail twitching with nerves and trembling again, this time a mixture of fear and nerves and excitement.

“I'm saying yes. Yes, Mymble, I want to be with you. I trust you and I love you. Let's get vamp-married.”


End file.
